the fluid that circulates in the principal vascular system of human beings and other vertebrates, in humans consisting of plasma in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended.
the vital principle; life.
The excitement had got into the very blood of the nation.
a person or group regarded as a source of energy, vitality, or vigor.
It's time we got some new blood in this company.
one of the four elemental bodily humors of medieval physiology, regarded as causing cheerfulness.
the shedding of blood; slaughter; murder.
to avenge the blood of his father.
the juice or sap of plants.
the blood of the grape.
a person of hot blood.
physical nature of human beings.
the frailty of our blood.
Chiefly British. a high-spirited dandy; an adventuresome youth.
the young bloods of Cambridge.
a profligate or rake.
physical and cultural extraction.
It was a trait that seemed to be in their blood.
royal extraction.
a prince of the blood.
descent from a common ancestor; ancestry; lineage.
related by blood.
recorded and respected ancestry; purebred breeding.
Slang.
a Black person, especially a young Black man.
Hunting. to give (hounds) a first sight or taste of blood.
to stain with blood.
make one's blood boil, to inspire resentment, anger, or indignation.
Such carelessness makes my blood boil.
get / have one's blood up, to become or be enraged or impassioned.
Injustice of any sort always gets my blood up.
have someone's blood on one's head / hands, to be to blame for someone's affliction or death.
Though a criminal, he had no blood on his hands.
make one's blood run cold, to fill with terror; frighten.
The dark, deserted street in that unfamiliar neighborhood made her blood run cold.
sweat blood. sweat.
in cold blood, without pity or mercy; ruthlessly.
The dictator, in cold blood, ordered the execution of all his political enemies.
taste blood, to experience a new sensation, usually a violent or destructive one, and acquire an appetite for it.
Once the team had tasted blood, there was no preventing them from winning by a wide margin.
a reddish fluid in vertebrates that is pumped by the heart through the arteries and veins, supplies tissues with nutrients, oxygen, etc, and removes waste products. It consists of a fluid (see blood plasma ) containing cells (erythrocytes, leucocytes, and platelets)
a similar fluid in such invertebrates as annelids and arthropods
bloodshed, esp when resulting in murder
the guilt or responsibility for killing or injuring (esp in the phrase to have blood on one's hands or head )
life itself; lifeblood
relationship through being of the same family, race, or kind; kinship
informal hard work and concentrated effort
near kindred or kinship, esp that between a parent and child
human nature (esp in the phrase it's more than flesh and blood can stand )
ethnic or national descent
of Spanish blood
as a natural or inherited characteristic or talent
royal or noble descent
a prince of the blood
temperament; disposition; temper
good or pure breeding; pedigree
( as modifier )
blood horses
people viewed as members of a group, esp as an invigorating force (in the phrases new blood, young blood )
rare a dashing young man; dandy; rake
the sensual or carnal nature of man
obsolete one of the four bodily humours See humour
hatred; ill feeling
family duties and loyalty outweigh other ties
to be or cause to be angry or inflamed
showing no passion; deliberately; ruthlessly
to cause to be angry or indignant
to fill with horror
hunting to cause (young hounds) to taste the blood of a freshly killed quarry and so become keen to hunt
hunting to smear the cheeks or forehead of (a person) with the blood of the kill as an initiation in hunting
to initiate (a person) to an activity or organization, esp by real-life experience
The fluid tissue that circulates through the body of a vertebrate animal by the pumping action of the heart. Blood is the transport medium by which oxygen and nutrients are carried to body cells and waste products are picked up for excretion. Blood consists of plasma in which red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended.
A fluid that is similar in function in many invertebrate animals.
What is a basic definition of blood? Blood is a vital bodily fluid pumped through the veins and arteries by the heart. Blood also refers to people who provide energy, to a tendency a person has, or to a person’s ancestry. The word blood has several other senses as a noun and a few as a verb. Blood is the red fluid that flows through your body. It is made of plasma, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Blood carries oxygen and other important nutrients throughout the body. It also carries waste, such as carbon dioxide, to the lungs, kidneys, and liver to be removed. Blood is a major component of the circulatory system, which also includes the heart, veins, arteries, and lymph nodes. The verbs bleed and bled mean to ooze, leak, or exude blood.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English blo(o)d, Old English blōd; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon blōd, Old High German bluot ( German Blut ), Old Norse blōth, Gothic bloth, from Germanic blōdam
Blood most often describes the fluid that circulates through your body — the red stuff that seeps out of your finger if you get a paper cut. Blood can also refer to temperament. If something gets your blood up, that means it makes you angry. You might even get so mad that it feels like your blood boils. You can also use blood to describe a common ancestry. You might have Scottish blood in you — that means some of your ancestors came from Scotland. Blood can also describe family members — you may get frustrated at your brother sometimes but he’s your own flesh and blood.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers found that a 30-minute sauna session increased the number of every type of circulating white blood cell.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
After receiving a life-saving blood transfusion last week, her blood values dropped again Saturday, the Ojai Raptor Center, which is treating Jackie, said in a social media post.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Overall, sauna bathing produced only small changes in the average levels of cytokines circulating in the blood.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 28, 2026
Gordon added: "We're all human, we all have blood inside us and if you speak to the person next to you, you never know what you have in common, what you might share."
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
‘Well of course you can see! You cut your forehead when you hit that branch, and the blood got in your eyes. Scalp wounds bleed a lot. Didn’t you know that?’
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
An Outlander prequel series, Blood Of My Blood, began in August last year and has been renewed for a second season due to air in September.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Blood in the stool is an important colorectal cancer warning sign, particularly when it appears more than once.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 2026
The actor continued that it was actually a meeting with the “Children of Blood and Bone” author that gave her the confidence to pursue the role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Clayton-Thomas joined the jazz-rock band Blood, Sweat & Tears in 1968, becoming a crucial members of what became one of most popular groups of the late 1960s.
From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026
Blood allowed Woodhull to pursue her interests, and he often assisted with her schemes.
From "Votes for Women!" by Winifred Conkling
The country’s top teams—blue bloods with well-resourced athletic departments and rich histories of March triumph—have never been better.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 2026
Miami falls into an awkward middle ground that the blue bloods often avoid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 2026
Mrs Lord went to the hospital on 19 May 2023 to have bloods taken and for a decision to be made on what investigations may be needed in future.
From BBC ● Nov. 17, 2025
Where there were concerns in the past about USC having enough resources to compete with other blue bloods, Bowden says he has no such worry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2025
Grover had taken over the satyr seekers and was sending them out across the world to find unclaimed half- bloods.
From "The Last Olympian" by Rick Riordan
Triceratops was likely not fully warm blooded, but these structures may still have played an important role in controlling temperature and retaining moisture.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2026
Some deep-sea fish, such as tuna and lamnid sharks, a family of large and speedy sharks, are partially warm blooded; they can divert body heat to specific organs even in icy temps.
From Science Magazine ● May 10, 2023
“Because they’re cold blooded animals, they regulate their body temperature as best they can based on the environment,” he said.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2022
Species of warm- blooded animals, for example, tend to have larger bodies in the cooler climates closer to the earth’s poles, allowing them to better conserve heat.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Now they had been blooded, she did not speak to them like schoolgirls.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
There was the odd highlight, of course, namely beating Scotland 3-0 in Dublin in the Nations League, but Kenny's main legacy will be his role in blooding the Republic's next generation.
From BBC ● Nov. 22, 2023
The north London club have retained their core of international players, while blooding youngsters last season and allowing others to gain experience from loan spells.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2021
Southgate offered a nod, too, to the much-criticised Roy Hodgson for blooding so many younger players during his tenure in charge.
From The Guardian ● Jul. 7, 2018
And for this match at the Kennington Oval, a desperate England were blooding eight new internationals, including a 17-year-old whelp, James Prinsep.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 11, 2011
"They are blooding him again," he said; and then—"What are you doing here?"
From Oddsfish! by Benson, Robert Hugh
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
